Man falsely reported bombs at school, hospital, cops say

A Chicago man was charged with two counts of felony disorderly conduct for calling a state agency last year to say bombs were hidden in an Evanston school and a Chicago hospital, police said Tuesday.

Branden Dixon, 24, of the 1200 block of West Pratt Avenue, made three anonymous calls to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency in Springfield on Oct. 29 and said there was a bomb in Evanston Township High School, said Evanston Police Cmdr. Joseph Bellino.

Bellino said the school was evacuated while police, fire and security workers searched the building. "It was hoax," he said.

Dixon also told the agency there was a bomb in Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said Chicago Police Sgt. Mike Gerhardstein. The hospital was not evacuated but was searched, he said.

"This guy is a major nuisance. It's not a minor thing," Gerhardstein said. "He has caused a lot of problems and has caused a lot of agencies to spend a lot of resources."

He said Chicago police are still investigating and additional charges could be filed.

Dixon, who was charged Monday, is being held in Cook County Jail and is scheduled for a bond hearing Friday in Skokie.

Bellino said Dixon was convicted of filing a false police report in 2002 after he called the U.S. marshals office and told them a fugitive featured on the "America's Most Wanted" TV program was living in his neighborhood.